Siege of Spoleto (1495)

The Siege of Spoleto (1495) was a military action of the Italian War of 1494-98 that occurred when the French army of King Charles VIII of France laid siege to the city-state of Spoleto. The city's walls were easily obliterated by heavy fire from the French artillery, but the soldiers in the city put up stiff resistance, and the French suffered heavy losses, losing over half of their men. The French would ultimately be able to conquer the city despite these losses.

King Charles carved a bloody path through Tuscany and Umbria during his campaigns in Italy, sacking several cities as he marched on Naples. Charles' army of 747 French troops, which had fought countless battles before, now came up against the fortified city of Spoleto, which dwarfed many of his previous conquests in size (except for Florence). Spoleto was defended by 654 troops under Lord Orlando Bruni, and its undermanned garrison could only defend outdated, weak walls. The French artillery was able to destroy some sections of wall in just one shot, and the gates survived the battle; many walls did not. The French artillery managed to kill several Spoletan defenders by destroying the walls beneath them, and they also pounded Spoletan soldiers within range of them. The French would proceed to storm the city, but they found that their cavalry went up against pikemen, a suicidal tactic. Ultimately, the battle would see the annihilation of the French cavalry and the near-annihilation of the French infantry. There were so few French troops left at the end of the battle that King Charles himself, accompanied by his bodyguards, had to charge into the fray to slay the last few Spoletan soldiers. The French would succeed in conquering Spoleto, and Charles exacted harsh reprisals against the populace; 2,397 Spoletans were massacred and 1,078 guilders looted from the city coffers. With Spoleto tackled, France would now have to march through the Papal States before reaching Naples.